Proper Knife Care
When you have quality knives that you have spent a good chunk of change on you want them to last. There are three ways of ensuring that your knives stay in pristine condition. Cleaning your knives properly, sharpening your knife regularly, and storing them in a protective way will ensure longevity in your knives.
Cleaning
Let’s break down exactly what I mean when I say cleaning your knives properly. The number one rule of cleaning your knives do not put them in the dishwasher. Follow this one bit of advice in regard to cleaning your knives and they will last.
You might be wondering what the big deal is. Putting your knives in the dishwasher can cause corrosion and rust. Many commercial dishwashers use harmful detergents that can break down your knives. This will ruin the longevity of your knives.
The best way to wash your knife is by hand with a nonabrasive detergent and hot water. Check out the video below for a brief tutorial on how to properly wash your kitchen knives.
Other things to remember when it comes to cleaning your knife
- Clean promptly after use
- Dry thoroughly
- Oil carbon steel knives
So, don’t forget clean, dry, oil. If you do those three things, you are golden.
Sharpening
A cook is only as good as their knife is sharp. So let me tell you there are a lot of not too many sharp cooks. It is hard to say what is the most important part of knife care but keeping your knife sharp is up there. It does not matter if you are trying to excel in a Michelin star restaurant or impress the family carving the turkey this year a sharp knife is going to get it done for you.
Why should you sharpen your knife?
- Safety
- Precise cutting
- Maintains a straight blade
- Ensures longevity
Keeping a knife sharpened can be handled a couple of ways. You can either learn how to sharpen your knife yourself or have a professional company sharpen it for you. I recommend learning to do it yourself. This will save you some green and if you want to be taken seriously…just learn to sharpen your knives, okay?
Now if you are not going to take my advice here is a company you can trust with sharpening your knives.
If you do want to learn how to sharpen your own knives, good job I am proud of you. Below are three helpful videos to get you started with knife sharpening.
Just like your knife, this skill needs sharpening as well. Do not be discouraged if you are not getting the hang of it right away. It takes a lot of practice and finding your personal style with sharpening.
Storing
We are not throwing our clean and freshly sharpened knives in a drawer unprotected, are we? No, we are not.
Why are we not doing that?
- “Ouch I’m bleeding.”
- “Why is there rust on my blade”
- “The tip of my knife chipped off”
So how do we store our knives properly? Like I said when we discussed cleaning, we want to make sure the knife is completely dry before storing it away. This will stop your blade from developing rust.
After your knife is dried thoroughly make sure it is protected. The best way to do this is to cover it with a sheath. Often when you buy a quality knife a sheath will come with it. Make sure you keep it and use it.
Now where to store it?
This will depend on whether this knife is solely for your kitchen at home or if you will be travel to and from a professional kitchen with it. If this is a home kitchen knife after it is cleaned, sharpened, and protected with a cover it can be stored in a clutter free drawer.
If you are taking your knives with you to a professional kitchen you should buy a knife roll. Despite what the guy with the 80s haircut from culinary school says you do not have to buy the $100 hand stitched leather knife roll he has. You know who you are.
Below are two affordable and reliable knife rolls.
Japanese Tijiro Canvas Knife Pocket
Having a knife roll will ensure your knives are not damaged in transit and that you are not injured during the journey. I have never rolled a knife up in a kitchen towel and shoved it in my backpack just for it to cut a hole and fall out on the train. But I am sure it has happened to someone, just not me… buy a knife roll.
Now that you know how to properly care for a quality knife, go buy some. If you don’t know anything about knives, I got you! Check out this post to learn more about what to buy in terms of kitchen knives.
